Arnold Clark Cup: The first edition of the competition gets underway in just under a month’s time

We take a look at the upcoming Arnold Clark Cup due to begin in Middlesbrough on February 23rd.

The 2022 Arnold Clark Cup is an invitational women’s football tournament hosted by The Football Association and it takes place across a host of cities including Middlesbrough, Norwich and Wolverhampton.

The tournament is scheduled to kick off on February 17th and lasts until the 23rd with Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium, Norwich City’s Carrow Road and Wolverhampton Wanderers Molineux Stadium the three venues for the tournament which will attract large crowds as elite women’s football returns.

Teams involved include host nation England, Germany, Canada and Spain which makes the tournament very competitive and a good warmup ahead of the European Championships this summer.

The four invited teams play each other once in a round-robin tournament with three points awarded for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss.

Arnold Clark is the inaugural tournament sponsor and are extremely excited about the project of welcoming some of the top women’s teams in the world to England.

Eddie Hawthorne, Arnold Clark Chief Executive, was clearly excited about the prospect of the Arnold Clark Cup becoming a regular event in the current women’s game.

“It’s a bold and exciting event and we believe that this will become a highlight of the sporting calendar for years to come.”

England will begin the tournament on February 17th at the Riverside Stadium against reigning Olympic champions Canada before taking on a star-studded Spain three days later at Carrow Road. The home side’s final fixture will be against world number three Germany at Molineux on February 23rd.

“Football is something that brings the whole community together. We’re delighted to give fans the opportunity to see these great international players live in their hometowns for a great price and hopefully it will inspire future stars.” said an FA spokesperson.

England striker Fran Kirby is looking forward to having the chance to prove herself against some of the top players in the women’s game.

“As a team, you want to test yourself against the best and win trophies, and that’s our clear goal for the tournament.

“It’s a special opportunity to play world-class opposition in front of our supporters, so we’ll be determined to be firing on all cylinders.”

With over half of the tickets priced at £10 or less and the opportunity to see competitive, elite football at its very best, tournament organisers are expecting bumper crowds at each of the venues.

Fans will be able to watch every match live on ITV and follow the progress of the tournament through social media.

This promises to be a fantastic opportunity for fans across the country to see live elite women’s football with some of the best teams and players from around the world in attendance.

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